Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Go to Bed Hungry

That's what diet and exercise expert from The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper, says to do in his book 'the skinny rules.'

I saw Harper on The Today Show this morning and heard him share that we shouldn't eat less than 3 hours before going to bed. He claims that going to bed hungry will actually us get better sleep. Hmm, interesting. (That's probably why I am so starving right now at 10pm because I know I really shouldn't eat. It's like fasting for blood work. On a typical day I can go until 9am without eating and feel fine. But on days I have to fast to get blood work done, I feel like I am going to pass out by 8am from low blood sugar,starvation, etc.)

Then he said that we should drink a tall glass of water when we wake up in the morning to get all of our organs and digestion going. He also said that we should drink a tall glass of water before each meal. I guess that makes sense because the glass of water will help with digestion and help us feel fuller faster...these are rules on how to be "skinny" right?

One other idea I took away from his segment on The Today Show was the 80/20 rule. I've seen the 80/20 rules surface in many situations, but this is the first I have heard it used when it comes to eating habits. This rule basically states that you will eat well 80% of the time, but know that you are going to splurge 20% of the time. And he encourages people to plan their splurges so they have something to look forward to. This makes sense to me because I have never seen a person change their diet to a specific plan 100% and not eventually abandon the diet or cheat...hello, do you know anyone who is still on the Atkin's diet? I don't, but know a lot of people that tried it.

These rules sound simple enough and, most importantly, seem like they would maintain good health. Sounds good to me!

To see all of what Bob Harper had to say on The Today Show, simply click on the video below.